Crew: El Pres, 3 Sheds, Dunc, Lee, Smithy, G, Stunt, Butty
Route: Back Eddisbury, Zag, Cat, Danebower, Farm to Three Shires, Cutthorne, across the fields (and across the A54), Wildboarclough, Standing Stone, Nessit, between the DH, ressies, Church House.
Conditions: Hot, dry and buggy.
Notes:
El Pres declares a picnic and wild swim at three shires on a hot evening.
Lee arrives on yet another new (to him) bike – santa cruz bronson, Stunt is doing a shakedown on the 29er hardtail for Traws Eyrie next week and G arrives on the Whyte e bike – but sans sandwiches! Butty will catch us up later.
It’s warm riding uphill – so only team e go for the “charity – bottom of the oven – tea rooms” option, with the rest of us strung out on the longer but easier main road. Quite a few cafe racer style motorbikes out – I’m sure they were roasting in their leathers!
A regroup at the tea rooms for a cool down in some welcome breeze, before pushing on to the Cat and across Danebower Hollow….where little yellow reflective flags and bits of hazard tape are marking the side of the track..?
Nicely firm and mostly dry across the field past the farm, and down to three shires. Some folk and dogs in the main pool by the bridge, so we head downstream 100m or so to the other pool, where the last of the days swimmers are just departing.
New records set for the amount of pasty white flesh exposed, the decibels of the expletives when plunging in the cold water, and of course the ensuing shrinkage!
All went in, some even twice!
Wee midgies out in force – as was the smidge, we retreat back to the bridge for sarnies (or presidential pizza) generously offering G some too (and he may have ended up the best fed!). Dunc treats us to a drop of rusty nail (with added drowned midge). Midgies just as bad here although Dunc has the right headgear, and the smidge does at least seem to reduce biting to acceptable levels.
The mystery of the markers is solved – as there is a sign for the Peakskyline trail race denoting options at the bridge – its a 50k or 13k and runs this weekend.
Time to take on the Cuthorne climb – one that an E should definitely clean (although there is a massive step near the top now!) Mr Ball shows how the tricky bits should be done – who needs an E!?
Glorious golden light at the road, but El Pres takes us over the fields (and north shore) to diagonally head to Wildboarclough. The sun is sat atop Shutlingsloe in front of us, and the trail is dry and fast. Just a minor rock garden in the last little section down to the road!
Tired legs along Wildboarclough past happy camping kids by the stream, and puffing up to standing stone.
With no food deadline we turn left and head to Nessit before dropping down through the forest (lights needed) for the classic between the DH and trails round the ressies.
Big TV showing the olympics in the beer garden gazebo, Wincle Waller and Otters Pool the ales of choice (with lots of crisps and nuts) we settle in outside for discussions on the Parisian games and scary medical tales of things that escalated quickly – some too gruesome to describe here!
Three pints good we ready to depart when Dunc discovers a flaccid back tyre, a game of which Co2 cannister is not empty, and then a ride fast before a top up on the way home.
A one extra layer over the short sleeved top all that was needed even near midnight.
Nice to have a proper summer ride!